The Latest From Australia

News and rumours:

I have been very lucky to be invited to the graduation performances for the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts, the Victorian College of the Arts, The National Theatre, Ballarat Academy of Performing Arts and a group calling themselves Actor’s Inc. This is the time of the year when another bunch of young hopefuls flood into the industry in the quest for fame and fortune, and unfortunately the number of graduates far exceeds the number of available jobs. It is a shame that so many of these talented young performers will never work professionally as actors. They may work in co-operative productions where they themselves support the industry, but the major companies are employing fewer and fewer actors because of funding cuts. The federal election that was just fought hardly even touched on the Arts and entertainment industry even though it is a major employer in this country. It was recently stated by the CEO of a local council that is threatening to change the whole structure of a very successful theatre space, that there are no votes in the arts, only in gutters and roads. What an appalling attitude to encounter in this day and age?

Ponderosa – the Bonanza-sequel Western series being produced at the old Man From Snowy River set at Blackwood (Cattemingga) outside Melbourne, has lost a production partner but gained a series extension.

The Ponderosa Film Company produces the show; an offshore teaming of US outfit ATI (Associated Television International) with US cable network PAX. ATI has just pulled out of the partnership. But PAX is encouraged by decent ratings for Ponderosa in the USA, and has commissioned seven more episodes.

One of Australia’s best-known casting directors passed away recently at the age of just 43. Maura Faye, the head of The Maura Faye Group died as a result of a stroke and many a drink was downed to mourn her passing. The company will continue on as one of the foremost casting consultants in the country.

Inspector Gadget starts shooting in QLD very soon with local stars Sigrid Thornton, Tony Martin, Bruce Spence and Mark Mitchell.

George Miller has finished the script for Mad Max 4.

Gregor Jordan (Two hands) will direct the upcoming Ned Kelly movie based on Robert Drewe’s book Our  Sunshine. Lynda House will produce it with Universal distributing it worldwide. The role of Ned will be played by Heath Ledger.

Theatre:

This Way Up. Playbox Theatre at the Malthouse. Writer: Elizabeth Coleman.

Director & Dramaturg: Catherine Hill.

This is a new play and it is great to see a farce that also has something of a social comment to make. We are introduced to Melanie (Mandy McElhinney) at the beginning of the play, and she is packing to leave her Walkley award-winning lover after enduring months of loneliness. A Walkley is the Australian journalist’s award for excellence. Nick (Stewart Morritt) is a globetrotting adventure seeker who always sniffs out the big stories and is always in the world’s trouble spots. The problem is, he is never at home to keep Melanie’s trouble spots calm, and there is a pot waiting to boil over in his own loungeroom. Melanie’s sister Kris (Marian Haddrick) is less appealing to the men folk than her sister, but has her eyes set on Nick’s best friend Damien (Luke Elliot). But he has set his sights on the soon to be free (he hopes) Melanie for whom he has always held a candle. Confused yet? It made perfect sense in the production, which has a lot to do with the tight direction and truthful and clever performances.

O.K. Now we throw in Kris and Melanie’s mother’s birthday party and the fact that Mel has given an ultimatum to Nick to be home or else. So, in the middle of the chaos of packing and trying to organise the party, Nick arrives home to find that he is losing his woman. Then all hell breaks out next door, when a siege develops and Senior Sergeant Wendy O’Brien (Linda Gibson) arrives to try to take control and warn the neighbours. Gibson is magnificently funny in the role and each of her brief appearances is met with laughter and fond appreciation from the audience.

The two sisters and their men are forced to look at the issues and actually talk about them because of the fact that they can’t leave their house. The play is ultimately asking us to look at our lives and realise that what we want and what we need may actually be the very same thing.

The pacing is slick and the performances are even and risky and there is no reason why this production shouldn’t tour for as long as Coleman’s previous play “Secret Bridesmaid’s Business” which is about to be made into a feature film.

Verdict: This way up.

 ©2001 Don Bridges

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Winter 2001